Echoes of Time
by Gater101
Summary: Because life happens in moments. Series of one-shots.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Slow It Down  
Summary: He slows it down for her. She's glad.  
Characters: Reid & JJ  
Pairing: JJ-Reid  
Episode: Season 2, _Open Season  
_**Notes:** A series of one-shots.

She doesn't know if it's a conscious effort on his part, or if he really does just enjoy reading that slowly sometimes but she's glad. The lazy pace at which he reads lets her know that he, like everyone, _can _read at that pace; it reminds her that he's not a super-computer like she's sure they all sometimes forget. His choice of material surprises her, on these flights home; at times when she expects him to be submerged in another book whose author she's never heard of, let alone the title he's flicking easily through a magazine left on the table at the cabin door. When he's like that, there's always a space beside him at the window – just where she likes it.

She reads it over his shoulder and she knows he knows though he doesn't turn to her. She smiles and flicks a finger to show she's finished and a few moments later the page is turned and she glances between it and the others on the plane. Gideon, like Hotch beside them, is sound asleep though the stress still lingers about their foreheads. Behind them, Emily and Morgan talk quietly but like many of their conversations, she doesn't dare listen in. She's always been surprised by how often private conversations happen on the plane but none of them question nor attempt to alter the tradition.

She sighs and glances back to the page – something about Hollywood scandal – and she flicks her finger without reading it; neither she nor Reid has any particular interest in that brand of gossip – not anymore. His hand drops and she feels the brush of his skin across the back of her hand, fleeting, almost evanescent and she looks down to where she still feels the pressure, the lingering heat of his hand that is no longer there.

She glances to him and he turns to her, his lips twitching in a smile before glancing back to the page in front of him.

The memory of his smile, his skin against hers, lingers as the pages turn in time.

He slows it all down for her sometimes and in moments like this, she's glad.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: In the Quiet of Night  
Summary: It's Spencer she needs right then.  
Characters: Spencer Reid & JJ  
Pairing: JJ/Reid, some JJ/Will  
Rating: T  
Episode: Season 3 _In Birth and Death_

"Are you all right?"

It's a loaded question, she knows and the multitude of possible answers bounce through her mind as she watches the same ones dance across his eyes. He looks tired, she notes, but doesn't comment and she feels that deep rooted worry etch further in her chest. It's been a long time since she's thought of comforting Spencer Reid, though the sensation of caring isn't unfamiliar. His fingers dance over his watch as he checks the time and she watches as surprise flutters through his eyes as he reads the lateness of the hour.

"I didn't realise it was so late," he says, his voice thick from underuse and she narrows her eyes at the evasion. She had expected an evasive answer but his ignorance of her question still surprises her. He scrapes a hand through his hair – longer than it's been since she's known him – and he looks younger than she remembers, with his hair pulled back like that from his face. She feels a knot in her stomach and her hand falls to rest against it, hoping – knowing – that Spencer hasn't seen the gesture. "What are you still doing here?" He asks as he leans back in his seat, pursing his lips as he looks up to her.

It's been a long time since she's experienced that gaze and she feels heat pooling in the pit of her stomach; Spencer's mind is a wonderful thing and it's been so long since his focus has been all on her that she'd almost forgotten how powerful his gaze could be. She gulps and glances away from his eyes, shaking her head as she turns to sit on the edge of his desk. He eyes her for a long moment, his gaze sweeping over her body as though he knows something is different and she's sure that he does but she doesn't want him to know – not yet.

"I've been writing reports."

Really, she's been waiting for Will to land but she's sure Spencer doesn't need to hear that. It's easier, for both of them, if she lies. He nods, accepting her answer though she knows he knows he's lying.

"Me too."

They say Spencer Reid is socially naive but she's seen a change in him the last few months and she knows that something isn't right – that it hasn't been for some time now. But like always, the others don't profile and she doesn't question but she wonders if solitude is what he needs right now. The darkness around his eyes is deep and she knows it's not just from lack of sleep; he's agitated and worried and she knows it's not just because Gideon... because of Gideon.

"You want to get out of here?" She asks suddenly, surprising them both.

He checks his watch again and frowns at it, glancing to the clock on the wall behind her and she knows he's going to say no. She brushes the edge of her fingers against his and she knows that he felt that too because he looks to her, startled and his pupils are darker than she remembers them being moments before.

"Where do you want to go – it's late." She shrugs and looks away, holding her breath as his index finger steals over the back of her fingers. She bites the inside of her lip and dips her head to the side, watching him. "There's this bar that Morgan-"

"Let's just..." She trails off, not sure what she meant to say but he seems to understand.

He stands and lifts his jacket, his body angling further into hers as he slides into his jacket. He stands before her, his thigh brushing against hers and she knows she shouldn't want to do this but she does anyway and if he doesn't-

He moves, his fingers grazing along her knee as he reaches for his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He touches her elbow – a guiding motion – and she hops down, stands beneath him for a moment before walking away from him, knowing he will follow.

She knows she should be waiting on Will – that his flight will be landing soon – but Spencer's the one she needs right now.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Resonant  
Summary: He doesn't sleep when he stays with her.  
Characters: JJ & Reid  
Pairing: JJ/Reid  
Episode: The Boogeyman

The first time she spent the night, he'd tried to pretend he'd fallen asleep with the light on. The next time, some months later, she'd woken and there'd been a book on his chest and he'd been fast asleep; when she put the light out, he woke and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he left the hallway light on.

He stayed at hers and she knew he didn't sleep; he lay awake - his arm across her back playing with her hair as she lay across his chest – just staring out the window to the amber light beyond. He'd finally slipped into slumber only when the sun rose on the far horizon.

She'd guessed but she'd never known and it wasn't until they were on a case in Ozona that the ball finally dropped. That night, she bought a floor lamp and set it up in her bedroom.

He didn't say anything but when they woke the next morning, he looked rested and content. When he kissed her good morning, his touch lingering over her skin, she knew that this was his way of saying thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Natural  
Summary: Moments later, she remembered how to breathe.  
Characters: JJ, Reid & Baby Henry  
Pairing: JJ-Reid  
Season/Spoilers: Season 4, general.  
Rating: K

They had only been in the small restaurant for a few minutes before Henry started fussing in the pram. She smiled apologetically at him but he simply waved his hand, watching as she reached down into the pram and extracted her tiny infant son and cradled him to her chest. It was fascinating to her, watching the changing expressions on her son's face as he snuggled into her warmth. She knew he wasn't hungry or tired just craving her company which she would gladly lavish upon him; she knew from watching Hotch that these moments would be few and far between once she made it back to work.

She looked up to Spencer, slightly amused by his silence; she had been waiting for him to spout out fact after fact about babies and parenting but when she looked to his face, she could see the easy wonder in his eyes, the curious pucker of his brow and the slight twitch in his lips as he fought the urge to speak. She smiled and looked back down to Henry for a moment when his tiny fist touched her breast bone before looking back up to Spencer, startled by the intensity in his eyes when he met her eyes.

She watched as he frowned again, confusion marring his expressive eyes and she wanted to reach out to touch him; it was ridiculous the amount she had missed him while she'd been at home nursing Henry. Granted, she missed them all – despite the fact that they all visited her often – but... she missed Spencer Reid and his incessant babbling about the most mundane facts about the most inane things. It was quirk that she had once thought would annoy her to death but had, in time, been a reminder of her life – of his life; that they were alive.

"Why did you ask me to be his god father?" She frowned, feeling the rejection she'd thought she would feel in the hospital. He blanched and she tried to school her features back to neutral but it was no use; Spencer read people, he'd been reading her for years and he saw it. "That's not... I didn't... what I mean is..." He trailed off, looking down to his hands and she watched as the long fingers twined with one another and she reached out with one hand to cover his, carefully balancing Henry as she leaned forward. His skin was cold under her touch and she let her warmth seep into him for a moment before she withdrew her touch. "I'm not very good... with children."

Suddenly, she smiled. She _really _smiled, so much that it made Spencer frown and glance down self-consciously.

She felt coolness under her fingertips and she was surprised when she realised she was touching him again. She didn't withdraw her hand instantly, instead opting to give him a quick squeeze. She withdrew her hand and pondered for a moment; he would surely know if she lied to him – he always knew.

She looked down and took a breath, catching a whiff of his clean, crisp scent and she felt the back of her throat tingle. She took a sip of water then and felt herself flush slightly.

_Damn hormones._

Right.

"I saw the books in your bag," she said and when she looked up, Spencer's face was scrunched in confusion and she recognised the expression; she smiled at its familiarity. "The ones about pregnancy."

His face fell and his cheeks flared red and he looked away quickly.

"Oh," he said quietly, uncomfortably shifting in his seat. She saw him reach out for the leather strap of his messenger bag his fingers finding calmness in its familiar texture; she wondered if he even knew he did that. "I didn't..."

She shook her head and he looked up at her, his expression defeated and she tried to encourage him with her smile.

"Despite the fact that..." She shook her head, not quite sure what she had meant to say. "There is no one else I can imagine who would be better at this than you."

He frowned again but she could see the slight shift in his expression; beneath the confusion and the embarrassment, she sensed his pride at her words and she smiled again, her finger tracing down the soft skin of her son's cheek as he grumbled slightly in her arms. She watched Spencer's eyes drop to watch her action and she smiled again, her own pride swelling at the look on his face.

"I still don't think-"

"Anything you don't know, you'll read about it and never forget it. You're better equipped to do this than I am," she said lightly, catching his eyes again and he smiled for a brief moment before his frown reappeared.

"But that's all theoretical – the practice is..." he trailed off and met her eyes again, smiling wryly as the corner of his lips turned up slightly in a crooked half smile that she'd seen only a handful of times.

She thought for a moment, pausing only for an instant before she stood, adjusting Henry in her grip and moved to his side of the table, angling her body down to his. He looked up to her frowning for a moment but when she gestured with her head to Henry his eyes widened and he moved to shake his head but she just held Henry out, waiting until he moved his arms to accept the gift of her son. He looked so awkward as he shifted him about in his arms and JJ took pity on his, helping adjust him in Spencer's gangly arms, moving back to her side of the table when she felt they were both safe together.

"See," she said quietly as she watched Henry snuggle into what little warmth Spencer offered. "You're a natural."

Spencer dragged his eyes away from the bundle in his arms a long moment later, his expression inexplicably serene and JJ felt a sharp pain in her chest that quickly settled into a dull ache, low in her breast bone. In her mind, an old dreamscape flashed – of a sight so insanely similar to this that she almost forgot how to breathe. The setting was the same; she, Spencer and a child. Only in the forgotten dreamscape, the child wasn't Will LaMontagne's. He was _theirs. _Baby Jareau-Reid.

Spencer looked down and the image faded while the pain lingered.

Moments later, she remembered how to breathe.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Quiet Absurdity  
Summary: Aaron isn't quite sure which idea is more absurd.  
Characters: Aaron Hotchner, team  
Pairing: Reid/JJ  
Rating: K  
Notes: Season 3

Aaron isn't quite sure which idea is more absurd; the fact that they love one another, or that they don't know it. As unit chief, he knows he shouldn't be turning a blind eye to this but as he watches Reid's long index finger twitch – if the slow, rotating motion could be called a twitch – against the back of JJ's wrist as the plane shudders in the turbulence, he just can't bring himself to say anything to either of them.

Reid looks up and glances to the others on the plane: Morgan, sprawled out on the long sofa asleep; Emily leaning against the wall, watching out of the window; Rossi, playing with his newly acquired Nintendo console. Before Reid's eyes can meet his own, Aaron closes them and feigns sleep; he's did it often enough to know that Reid won't see that he's not actually lost to the land of slumber.

He waits for a few long minutes, feeling the vaguest strands of unconscious wrap around his mind before he opens his eyes. In the dim light of the plane, he can't help the slow smile that spreads across his lips as he watches Reid sit stiffly with JJ's head in his lap. This time, he's not quick enough at closing his eyes and Reid freezes momentarily. Aaron waits a moment before he nods – just once. Reid's body slackens and one hand falls from the book he's reading to rest on JJ's shoulder, playing with the ends of her hair.

Aaron waits until Reid turns back to his book, his fingers absent mindedly playing with JJ's hair, before closing his eyes and letting sleep take him as a welcome prisoner.


End file.
